About one-third of Georgia’s counties are considered to have all age groups in poor health, according to a University study.

A pair of campus researchers released the study to identify which of Georgia’s counties have persistently poor health in three age groups. Based on unique age-related health factors, only 19 of Georgia’s 159 counties had no age groups with persistently poor health in any category.

“This study was aimed toward the public, but in the end we want it to be used as evidence to change health policy in the state of Georgia,” said Angela Fertig, assistant professor of health policy and management. “When the majority of the counties in the state are in persistent poor health, it’s a bad state of affairs.”

Funded by a grant from the Initiative on Poverty and Economy, Fertig approached Doug Bachtel, professor of housing and consumer economics, in 2007 with the project in mind.

Fertig said she saw how a 2003 study on persistent poverty created change and she wanted to do the same with poor health.

“We’re all sitting around reading about national health care, but most public health decisions are made at the local level,” she said. “A lot can be done.”

Statistics from 1992 through 1997 and from 2000 to 2005 were used in the study.

The data, which came from both local and federal statistics, consisted of different indicators of poor health in each age group, including children, working-age adults and seniors.

Overall, more counties were considered to be in persistently poor health from 1992 to 2005 – an indicator of declining health in the state, according to the report.

Specifically, low birth weight percentage and child mortality rate were two of the three factors that categorized poor health in children. In Athens-Clarke County, the age group for children is categorized as persistently in poor health.

For working-age adults between the ages of 16 and 64, death rates from cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses were used to determine persistently poor health. In seniors, death rates from cancer, flu and pneumonia, and accidental deaths were considered.

“Health care goes way beyond doctors and hospitals,” Bachtel said. “It’s about the community pulling together to eliminate these risk factors for poor health.”

Bachtel also said the study’s purpose is to raise public awareness on the local level, as Georgia ranks low in overall health in comparison to other states, he said.

The criterion for persistently poor health is based on whether a county ranks in the lower half of all counties in the U.S. for the three health indicators for each age group.

Both Fertig and Bachtel said Athens-Clarke County’s persistent poor health in children is a cause for alarm because sometimes students and faculty do not see problems in the local community beyond campus.

“If people want to make the argument for the health needs in their region, hopefully this study will help,” Fertig said. “This is one little step, and we want to look broader to see what else can bring good change.”